We would appreciate thoughts about the following, last-minute itinerary of 11 nights. We will have a car.

Nov. 17: arrive in Belfast from Scotland and stay overnight at Tara Lodge
Nov. 18 & 19: 18th-drive to Derry, stopping at Antrim Coast and Giant's Causeway
stay at Bishop's Gate Lodge, 19th-tour Derry
Nov. 20: drive Donegal loop and stay in Donega @ Gateway Lodge
Nov. 21: Drive to Sligo and end in Westport, staying @ Clew Bay Lodge
Nov. 22 & 23: Visit Westport, drive to Galway and stay @ Corrib View Lodge, visit Galway the 23rd
Nov. 24: ?
Nov. 25-27: Drive to, and visit, Belfast staying @ Tara Lodge

Seeing that we have an "extra" day, should we extend our time in any of the above locations or is there a good stop between Galway and Belfast? All reservations except Bishop's Gate are flexible.

Is there a reason you started a new thread? It would probably be better if you ask the moderators to merge this one in with the original.

[QUOTE=janisj;17608262]Is there a reason you started a new thread? It would probably be better if you ask the moderators to merge this one in with the original.[/QUOTE

The original post was only marked Scotland since the trip started there, I wrote to the moderators some time ago asking to have it marked Ireland also and never heard back. So, I thought I should place this Ireland portion here.

Our itinerary:
11/12-17 - friends' near Dumfries, Scotland
11/17 - flight to Belfast
11/17 - Glass Island, Ballycastle, UK
11/18 & 19 - Bishop’s Gate Lodge, Derry, UK
11/20 - Gateway Lodge, Donegal, IR
11/21 - Clew Bay Lodge, Westport, IR
11/22, 23, 24 - Hardiman Hotel, Galway, IR
11/25 - Riverside Lodge, Carlingford, IR
11/26 & 27 - Kilcreeny Lodge B & B, Lisburn, IR
11/28 - Belfast to Glasgow and DC

So you asked for my opinion. I've just read this and I've taken a deep breath.
Overall thought? This is a LOT of moving around and your November daylight will be limited.
Your choices, though, be YOUR choices. I had a lot of people second-guess me and somehow ended up just dandy, so...
Wishing you the best,
AZ

AZ-I hear you and I appreciate your thoughts. We travel very lightly and really don't unpack. We couldn't seem to settle on some bases. The only hotel which cannot be canceled is in Derry, so we can adjust this otherwise. It seems places are not booked fully and we may be able to extend some stays if the weather is good. Unfortunately, it is looking pretty rainy, and we are packing accordingly. Initially, we were going to spend 3 nights in Belfast, but had difficulty finding accommodations which checked all our boxes. We wanted to visit Bru Na Boinne. I will try to write a daily trip report.

In summer I could see this being pretty doable. In the short days of November you'll just have to hope the weather gods cooperate. If it was my trip, the biggest concern would be the 17th. An awful lot of moving parts . . . drive Dumfries to GLA, fly to Belfast (hopefully no delays or cancellations), collect car, drive to Glass Island/Ballycastle. Are you flying into BHD or BFS?

Probably too late now but I’d add more time in and around the Donegal area.Of all the areas of the west coast of Ireland which I’ve enjoyed, I thought that was the loveliest.The Slieve League cliff area is wonderful.There are plenty of beautiful beaches too, perfect for a stroll.
Malin Head is worth a look or perhaps Fanad Head lighthouse.
The wonderful hill fort of Grianan of Aileach is only 10 miles from Derry.

https://www.wildernessireland.com/blog/grianan-aileach/

We are flying into BHD. If we need to go directly to Ballycastle, we can go back and visit Antrim coast the next day.
You are correct about the weather. We have little expectations and are just happy to get away from the news currently.
My DH is naming this The Great Escape.

We will see if we can adjust the Donegal area depending on weather.

Hello Fodorites, we are now in Derry, sticking to the plan with the exception so far of spending an extra day in Ballycastle. We have been lucky weather-wise. I promise a trip report. Right now, any recommendations for music in Derry tonight or tomorrow night?

Any ideas for food, music or otherwise in Derry? We took the great walking tour today.

Perhaps ask mods to tag post for ‘UK’ instead of ‘Ireland?’

We merged your two threads and modified the title to reflect the changes